


Depuis Le Début

by quietborderline



Series: Echelon [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - All You Need Is Kill Fusion, Alternate Universe - Edge of Tomorrow Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Zack Fair, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Cloud Strife-centric, Heavy Angst, Implied Relationships, M/M, Past Character Death, Past Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley (implied), Slow Burn, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop, pick and choose canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:13:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28049793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietborderline/pseuds/quietborderline
Summary: Given enough time, anyone can become a hero.  If they put their mind to it.Lucky for Cloud he has nothing but time.--A fusion fic merging the world of Final Fantasy VII with the world(s) of All You Need Is Kill and Edge of Tomorrow.Mainly features characters from FFVII.  Primarily follows the story of the other two, with bits of Compilation canon mixed in.
Relationships: Reno & Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: Echelon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054676
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Depuis Le Début

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it's me. Your friendly neighborhood, anxiety-fueled fan person.
> 
> Writing basically the same story over and over across various fandoms in an attempt to heal my soul.
> 
> But, will it get finished this time? Your guess is as good as mine... Stay tuned to find out!
> 
> \--
> 
> So, as usual, it all comes down to music: Story title comes from the 30 Seconds to Mars song of the same name (it translates to "from the beginning" for anyone who is curious!). All Chapter titles will be credited appropriately. If you're interested in my (still evolving) playlist for this series, btw, [you can check it out here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7h0xHPvbf6vetKCLqBeS2F) (open.spotify.com/playlist/7h0xHPvbf6vetKCLqBeS2F).
> 
> And if you want to chat, you can find me on [Tumblr](https://quietborderline.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/qbwritesthings). I'm the most awkward human alive but still I'd love to talk!  
> About fandoms in general, or maybe even bounce some future ideas for the fic/series off some people... So, come say hi!
> 
> Also, if you happen to know me and my writing from other fandoms... yikes? I mean, HEY! Hi. Just so you know, there's a very special note at the end of this fic just for you. But don't worry, it's spoiler free, so you can feel free to read it first if you choose to.
> 
> Fun fact: FFVII is actually the first fandom I was ever actively involved in (roleplaying, fic writing, etc) way back in 1997. Yep, I've been trapped in Zakkura hell for EONS. Someone please save me lol. But seriously, in a lot of ways, this feels like coming home.
> 
> Finally, just to clarify so no one's all wait WTF: for this series, Nibelheim and Modeoheim have swapped places on the world map.
> 
> Thanks for coming along on this adventure, everyone! I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing. ^_^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just the prologue. So really just set up and exposition (I know, I hate it too LOL). See? It doesn't even have a title...  
> All the remaining chapters will be way longer and a lot more involved. With, like, actual characters and everything! I promise.

It’s been almost four years since the mimics first attacked.

That’s what everyone has taken to calling them, at least: Mimics.

It’s a fitting enough name. They seem to somehow use the wildlife of the planet as the foundation for their physical appearance, resulting in monsters that are just as varied and diverse. Twisted, mutated versions of familiar creatures. Abominations of all shapes and sizes.

No one knows where they came from. But Nibelheim was the first place they hit.

ShinRa sent the army in response, but it was way too late.

Virtually everyone died. The entire village burned to the ground.

In his dreams, sometimes, Cloud can still feel the panic in his chest.

Still hear the screams of his friends and neighbors. His mother.

Can still feel the heat of the flames on his face.

—

The few survivors of Nibelheim - Cloud, his best friend Reno, less than a handful of others - are relocated south.

For a few months, at least.

Until the fighting gets so intense that ShinRa abandons the northern continent entirely.

You'd think knowing what to expect by now would turn things in their favor, but it doesn't.

Even the great ShinRa Electric Power Company, with all their technological advances, can't keep up.

The mimics are virtually unstoppable, leaving a trail of total destruction in their wake.

And humanity just keeps retreating.

Cloud and Reno stick together, eventually ending up at a refugee camp just outside of Junon. Things are quiet there, for quite a while, despite the constant news of devastation in other parts of Gaia. They live off scraps, but at least they’re safe from the mimics.

After the Battle of Junon, everything changes.

—

The attack comes in the middle of the night, completely unexpected.

Just like Nibelheim.

Absolute hellish chaos.

Cloud and Reno flee the camp with the other refugees, taking shelter in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. The high ground gives them a perfect view of the carnage. It’s not long before the city is all but overrun.

That’s when he shows up.

Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class. The Angel of Junon, as he comes to be known.

Angel of Death, more like.

Cloud remembers watching in awe as he cuts down mimic after mimic with that giant ass sword. He makes it look so effortless, like it’s something he’s done a million times, dancing gracefully through and around the monsters, dodging and slicing, anticipating their every move.

In the end, only Zack and a handful of other SOLDIERs are left standing. There is not a single mimic in sight.

A cheer erupts throughout the city.

That day marks the first time humanity makes a stand against the mimics, and wins.

That is also the day Cloud and Reno decide to join SOLIDER.

—

The SOLDIER program is ShinRa’s latest response to the mimic threat.

They found if they exposed candidates to controlled levels of mako, they could significantly enhance human senses and abilities.

Essentially, they create super-human super soldiers.

Results on the program's success are mixed, overall. The true extent of SOLDIER's capabilities still unknown.

But after Junon there is a big push for expansion, and recruitment really picks up.

Zack’s face ends up on propaganda posters plastered all over Gaia.

_Join the ShinRa Defense Corps._

_Follow the Angel of Junon to Victory._

Cloud and Reno enlist together, as soon as they are able.

—

Boot camp is absolute hell.

Cloud nearly quits countless times, but Reno always manages to talk him out of it.

Where else would he go, anyway?

Reno reminds him, over and over again: they’re all each other has left in the world.

So, he pushes through. And when they finally graduate, Cloud is grateful.

As it turns out, though, the SOLDIER program has extremely stringent admission requirements.

Neither Cloud nor Reno make the cut.

Instead, they are delegated to the ShinRa Infantry.

Just regular grunts. Nothing but fodder to pave the way for SOLIDER, if what everyone says is true.

At least Cloud and Reno are assigned together:

17th Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 301st Infantry Division. J Squad.

—

It’s less than a week before they get their first assignment.

Reports start coming in of mimic activity on the beaches of Mideel. A preemptive attack is planned.

The 301st and a number of SOLDIER operatives are shipped out to a staging area near Banora. An old, abandoned ShinRa facility.

That is where the story really begins...

**Author's Note:**

> If you do not know me from other fandoms/writing, this does not apply to you...
> 
> I know, I KNOW. I'M SORRY OKAY? I swear I haven't abandoned all my other works. Finishing them is still on my bucket list, and I will get there one day even if it kills me. I'm just... incredibly distractible. And I get demotivated and down on myself really easily. And life just keeps getting in the way... But I AM NOT GIVING UP ON ANYTHING. Never give up, never surrender!
> 
> And I just want to say that I really appreciate you being here, even though I've let you down before.  
> I'm honestly just so happy to be writing again at all, and I'm really hoping to take this motivation back to my other works.  
> But your support means the literal world to me, even if I don't know how to show it properly. And I wanted you to know that. <3


End file.
